LPGA: Dana Open-CHANETTEE WANNASAEN HOLDS FIRST EVER 36-HOLE LEAD AT DANA OPEN

With two days of competition complete at Highland Meadows Golf Club, Thailand’s Chanettee Wannasaen holds her first-ever LPGA Tour lead after 36 holes at 11-under. She carded a second-round 65, her second-lowest 18-hole score of the season, pairing it with her first-round 66 to record her new career-low 36-hole total of 131.

Starting her day in a tie for fourth, Wannasaen got off to a hot start, recording her first birdie of the day on the par-3 2nd hole. She followed that up with a bogey on No. 4, the lone blemish on her second-round scorecard, before going bogey-free the rest of the way.

She added another birdie on the third par-3 8th hole, turning in 33 at 6-under total. On the back, she added birdies on Nos. 11 and 14 to keep herself in contention. Wannasaen’s fifth and final birdie of the round got her to 9-under, one shot back of the co-leaders at the time, Linn Grant and Xiyu Lin. Highland Meadows’ final test, a pair of back-to-back closing par 5s, proved to be no match for Wannasaen as she birdied 17 before knocking her second shot on 18 with a 3-wood a few feet away from the hole, sinking her resulting eagle putt to propel herself to the top of the leaderboard.

“Today, I think on the front nine, I play not good either, but it’s like birdie and then bogey and then par, par, and then birdie again,” Wannasaen said. “I think today is just like 4-under par for the day is enough. On the back nine, I played really good. The putter was really good on the back nine.”

Grant and Lin are both tied for second at 10-under after Wannasaen jumped ahead of them on No. 18. Lin had one bogey and five birdies in her second round, keeping her squarely in contention ahead of the weekend in Sylvania, Ohio. Defending champion Grant recorded eight birdies and two bogeys en route to a Friday 65 and giving herself a chance to be the first player to successfully defend her Dana Open title since Se Ri Pak won back-to-back in 1998 and 1999.

“I think it just reminds me a lot about how I play golf at my home course,” Grant said about why she has been able to capitalize on so many scoring opportunities. “The grass is very similar; ground feels similar; how I read the putts is very alike. It brings out just a joy of playing. And then also that I can play aggressive without being penalized too much when it doesn’t go my way. It sets me up for some good momentum, and (I can) really get the birdies going.”

Six players round out the top five, including 2024 LPGA Tour rookie Mary Liu, who finds herself in contention for the first time in her young career, currently sitting in solo fourth at 9-under. Liu has made just four cuts in 10 previous starts this season and has not finished better than T35.

Five players are tied for fifth at 7-under total. Thursday’s leader Hye-Jin Choi ended her second round at even-par and fell down the leaderboard while reigning Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Haeran Ryu improved her position by two spots after finishing her first round in a tie for seventh. Japan’s Mao Saigo jumped from T15 to T5 after recording a bogey-free, 4-under 67, and South Africa’s Paula Reto was primed to place herself among those at the top but bogeyed her final two holes to drop into a share of fifth. Australian Sarah Kemp rounds out the logjam tied for fifth at 7-under, propelling herself up the leaderboard from T15 with a second-round 67.

A total of 80 players made the cut at even-par, including fan-favorite Lexi Thompson, who on tournament-deemed Lexi Thompson Day carded a 2-under 69, sits in a tie for 50th at 1-under for the tournament.

A LOOK AT THE LEADER

ABOUT THE LEADER

Rolex Rankings No. 43 Chanettee Wannasaen

• Wannasaen hit 11 of 14 fairways, 11 of 18 greens with 24 putts
  • She recorded one eagle, five birdies and a bogey in her second round of play
  • She was one of three players to record an eagle in the second round
• Her 131 is her career low 36-hole score
  • Her previous best was a 134 during the Portland Classic, which she won
  • Her lowest 36-hole score of this season is 138, which she shot at last week’s Amundi Evian Championship
• Her second-round 65 ties her second lowest 18-hole score of the season
  • She first set the mark in the first round of the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro, as well as the fourth round of the Mizuho Americas Open
  • Her lowest 18-hole score of the season is a 64 set in the third round of the Honda LPGA Thailand
• This is just the second time this season she has shot her first two rounds in the 60s
  • She shot three-straight rounds in the 60s at the Amundi Evian Championship
• This is her first time leading or co-leading after 36 holes
• This is her second start at the Dana Open
  • In 2023 she missed the cut
• This is her 18th start of the 2024 season
  • She has made 14 cuts with two top-10 finishes
  • Her season-best finish is a T3 finish at the Mizuho Americas Open
• Wannasaen is in her sophomore season on the LPGA Tour
  • She won her first ever LPGA Tour tournament at the 2023 Portland Classic and has two additional top-10 finishes
• She has two wins on the TLPGA Tour, both coming in 2022
  • She won at the Singha Pattaya Ladies Open and the SAT-NSDF 5th Thai LPGA Championship
• She also has one LET Access Series win at the 2022 Trust Golf Link Series – Ramside Hall

THINGS TO KNOW

• 80 players made the cut at even par
  • Notables to miss the cut are Ohio natives Mia Hammond and Mary Kelly Mulcahy
    • Hammond finished in the top-30 at last year’s Dana Open
• Defending champion Linn Grant (T2) tied leader Wannasaen and two others for low round of the day with a 6-under 65
  • Grant recorded eight birdies in her second round, the most among the field on Friday
  • She has 13 birdies over the first two days of play, tied for the most among the field
  • She only needed 23 putts in her second round, the lowest among the field
• Xiyu Lin is also tied for second heading into weekend play
  • She recorded five birdies and a bogey in her second round
  • She also has 13 birdies over the first 36-holes, tied for most among the field with Grant
• 2024 LPGA Tour rookie Mary Liu is in solo fourth at 9-under
  • Her -6 round ties the low score of the day
  • Her second round 65 is her lowest of the season and of her LPGA Tour career
  • Her 36-hole score of 133 bests her previous career low by six strokes
• Five players are tied for fifth advancing into the weekend
  • Sarah Kemp recorded five birdies and a bogey in her second round
    • Kemp is making her first cut since the U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally
  • Mao Saigo went bogey-free with four birdies
  • Haeran Ryu had five birdies and two bogeys
  • Paula Reto had four birdies and recorded two bogeys to end her round on Nos. 17 and 18
  • Hye-Jin Choi ended her day even par with four birdies and four bogeys
• Ohio natives Allie White and Stacy Lewis are both -5 overall after two rounds
  • White is an LPGA Tour teaching professional from Lancaster, Ohio
    • White recorded rounds of 67 and 71
    • White is making her first cut at the Dana Open in three previous starts
  • Lewis also shot 67 and 70 during the first two rounds
    • Lewis has missed the cut in her last four starts on Tour